Brenda Meller is an entrepreneur, author and social media coach who helps people maximize their presence on LinkedIn . She is the author of Social Media Pie: How to enjoy a bigger slice of the LinkedIn Pie and host of the Enthusiastically Self-Employed podcast. In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast , host Lynne Golodner interviews Brenda about her book and the evolution of her career. She talks about her writing process, including how she wrote the book in just 30 days, and why she o...
Mar 01, 2024•38 min•Ep. 165
Patrick Hicks is an Irish Catholic writer from Minnesota who has a deep fascination with the Holocaust. He has written three Holocaust novels and has conducted extensive research on the subject, visiting twelve different concentration camps and speaking with survivors. Patrick is also a professor at Augustana University in South Dakota, where he teaches writing and literature. In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast , host Lynne Golodner interviews Patrick about his newest book, Across...
Feb 16, 2024•21 min•Ep. 164
Qin Sun Stubis is a Chinese-American author of the book Once Our Lives: A Memoir of Shanghai, Teahouses, and Three Generations of Family , which tells the story of four generations of Chinese women in Shanghai, China during the Great Famine, navigating war and revolution. In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast , host Lynne Golodner interviews Qin about her early life, China’s Cultural Revolution and her love of words and storytelling. Qin explains how the loss of her parents inspired ...
Feb 02, 2024•27 min•Ep. 163
Elizabeth Conte is an author with a passion for bringing 19th-century literature to the 21st-century reader. She is the author of Finding Jane , a time travel historical novel, and Chosen Mistress , a scintillating story set in Victorian England. Elizabeth is the founder of Jane Writes Press , a hybrid publishing house for writers who don't fit into traditional publishing boxes. In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast , host Lynne Golodner interviews Elizabeth about her debut novel, Fi...
Jan 19, 2024•30 min•Ep. 162
Ana Veciana-Suarez is a journalist and author. She has written for various publications and has published several books, including her latest novel, Dulcinea , which was inspired by her reading of Don Quixote in high school. Known for her meticulous research and attention to detail, Anna spent many years digging up the information she needed to focus on the Spanish Inquisition. In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast , host Lynne Golodner interviews Ana about her writing process, the c...
Jan 16, 2024•21 min•Ep. 161
Jonathan Whitelaw is a Scottish author and journalist now living in Canada who wrote his first novel at the age of 17. He’s since published several books in the cozy crime genre, including Morbid Relations and the popular Bingo Hall Detectives series. In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast , host Lynne Golodner interviews Jonathan about the cozy crime genre, why he’s drawn to it and the genre’s emphasis on humor, character, and setting. Plus, they discuss his publishing journey, from ...
Jan 12, 2024•35 min•Ep. 160
Finding an agent and publisher was easy for April Davila , an award-winning author who quit her job in 2016 to write full-time. Her debut novel, 142 Ostriches, won the WILLA Literary Awards for Women Writing the West . In this episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner chats with April, a fourth-generation Californian who studied marine biology before being called to the written word. She honed her skills in marketing and technical writing jobs, dedicating early mornings to craftin...
Jan 09, 2024•25 min•Ep. 159
Suzanne Nugent , author of Brunch and Other Obligations and host of the Character Development podcast, uses humor to confront life’s darkest moments. She navigates between various storytelling mediums, from novels to screenplays, finding the right narrative platform for each project. In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast , host Lynne Golodner interviews Suzanne about her creative career and how writing has shaped her as a person. She shares her inspiration for her novel Brunch and Ot...
Jan 05, 2024•26 min•Ep. 158
Blake Kimzey is the founder of writingworkshops.com , a global community offering writing classes taught by experienced instructors, like Make Meaning Podcast host Lynne Golodner . Blake is also an author, screenwriter and hands-on dad of three. In this episode, Blake recalls a pivotal moment in sixth grade when he wrote a King Arthur rip-off. He and Make Meaning Podcast host Lynne Golodner also talk about his journey as an author, the inspiration behind WritingWorkshops.com and the surprising a...
Jan 02, 2024•28 min•Ep. 157
While fiction is born from imagination and creativity, many authors explain how they came to the stories they create through lived experiences. This is definitely true for Blair Fell , author of The Sign for Home , whose work in the deafblind community taught him about nuances, details and issues facing that community. This debut novel takes readers on a journey through a fascinating community and the lives of compelling characters. In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast , host Lynne ...
Dec 15, 2023•34 min•Ep. 156
Episode 155 - Martha Anne Toll - Finely Crafted, Award-Winning Fiction Martha Anne Toll is an author and former lawyer who has always been passionate about writing. She grew up in a secular Jewish family and was deeply influenced by the stories of Holocaust survivors. Martha's debut novel, Three Muses , is a beautifully crafted story that combines her love for ballet and her exploration of the impact of the Holocaust on her own Jewish identity. She is currently working on her second novel, Duet ...
Dec 01, 2023•24 min•Ep. 155
Episode 154 - Dawn Chalker - Writing What You Know Dawn Chalker wrote her first novel in fifth grade, finding inspiration from real life. That curiosity, creativity and imagination has continued throughout her life, drawing stories from journeys in nature. The northern Michigan-based writer based her recent novel, Bear Me in Mind , on a real-life encounter with a bear in Alaska and also her love for British detective shows. She also writes children’s books. In the latest episode of the Make Mean...
Nov 17, 2023•25 min•Ep. 154
Episode 153 – Jewish Books, Jewish Authors In a special two-part episode, Lynne Golodner interviews people who curate and promote Jewish books and Jewish authors. The first part features representatives from America's longest-running Jewish Book Fair -- Lauren Johnson, a librarian and consultant at the J-Detroit , and Brenda Brook, the 2023 chair of the Detroit Jewish Book Fair . The second part is a conversation with Naomi Firestone-Teeter , executive director of the Jewish Book Council . Learn...
Nov 10, 2023•44 min•Ep. 153
Ami Irmen ’s favorite storyteller was her grandfather, who set her on the path to becoming an educator and a writer. Her first traditionally-published novel is coming soon from Scarsdale Publishing , while she self-published another novel, Wherever Would I Be . Her short stories and poems have appeared in Sinister Wisdom , The Copperfield Review , and Glass: A Journal of Poetry . Ami teaches writing at Kishwaukee College . In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast , host Lynne Golodner i...
Nov 03, 2023•32 min•Ep. 152
Rochelle Weinstein is a successful and talented author known for her emotionally charged novels. After leaving a career in the music industry in 2000, she started writing and has produced eight novels, with the latest coming out on Oct. 20th. Rochelle's writing explores topical issues and draws inspiration from her own experiences and emotions. What’s more, she is a leading example of generosity, camaraderie and community in the world of women’s fiction! In the latest episode of the Make Meaning...
Oct 20, 2023•27 min•Ep. 151
As a child in Richmond, Virginia, Lisa Peers was introduced to writing by her mother, who was also a writer who invited her young daughter to play with her typewriter. Still, Lisa began her career in theater and only later pursued writing in a professional capacity. She shares how acting shapes her writing process and helps her build authentic dialogue, which is a strength of Lisa’s new novel, Love at 350° . This gorgeous story features 40something characters challenging the norms of the romanti...
Oct 06, 2023•29 min•Ep. 150
Lynne Golodner first met Anne-Marie Oomen at Goddard College , where Lynne was beginning her MFA in Writing and Anne-Marie was graduating. A fellow Michigan resident who calls the forests and hills of the Lake Michigan shores her home, Anne-Marie serves on the board of Michigan Writers where Lynne is now in charge of Marketing. In this episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner chats with Anne-Marie about teaching in the Solstice MFA program at LaSalle University and at Interlochen...
Sep 22, 2023•44 min•Ep. 149
A Super Special Episode: Lynne Golodner discusses her debut novel! Writer, Washtenaw County Commissioner , Nurse and Friend Extraordinaire Katie Scott takes the mic on this episode to interview Make Meaning host Lynne Golodner about the release of her ninth book and debut novel, Woman of Valor. Lynne and Katie met in a writing course in the 1990s and are more like sisters than friends. In this episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner finds herself on the other side of the intervi...
Sep 08, 2023•43 min•Ep. 148
Diane Gottlieb champions midlife women while telling her own provocative, riveting stories for publications like River Teeth , HuffPost , and SmokeLong Quarterly . Winner of the Tiferet 2021 Writing Contest and a finalist in SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest 2022 , Diane has three master’s degrees and serves as editor of Awakenings: Stories of Body and Consciousness and prose/creative nonfiction editor of Emerge Literary Journal. In this episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner chats...
Aug 18, 2023•22 min•Ep. 147
Barbara Stark-Nemon takes her time writing historical fiction, tracing the paths her characters walked and lived. The author of award-winning novels, Barbara turned to writing after retiring from a successful career. In this episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner chats with Barbara about her passion for writing and her experiences speaking at conferences, literary events, libraries and book clubs. A University of Michigan alumnus, Barbara has two published novels - Even in Dark...
Aug 04, 2023•31 min•Ep. 146
Building an author career depends on writing book after book after book, which is something CL Walters knows well. From her home base in Hawai’i, she writes and publishes through Mixed Plate Press , the venture she runs with her husband. CL writes Young Adult and New Adult titles, and pens Romances under the name Maci Aurora. In this episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner chats with CL Walters about her author journey, making a living as a writer, maintaining a steady flow of s...
Jul 21, 2023•35 min•Ep. 145
Danny Hankner is an electrician by trade and a writer at heart as well as the founder of Story Unlikely . This online literary publication showcases incredible stories, focusing on non-fiction memoiristic pieces. As a publisher, Danny is passionate about discovering great authors and beautiful stories, providing a platform and audience to showcase worthy voices. In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner interviews Danny Hankner about his literary journey. One of Lynn...
Jul 07, 2023•40 min
Annie Cathryn transitioned from a career in marketing for a Fortune 500 company to her own consulting agency inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert's " Eat Pray Love " to pursue her dream of writing fiction. She recently released her debut book, The Friendship Breakup , and is a self-proclaimed book nerd who has expanded her love for literature by becoming a Bookstagrammer and starting the Soulful Series Video podcast . In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast , host Lynne Golodner interviews An...
Jun 23, 2023•33 min•Ep. 143
Welcome to a special episode of the Make Meaning Podcast ! As a full-time author, writing coach, and host of this podcast, Lynne Golodner never thought starting another business would be part of her plan. However, her passion for storytelling and a gap in the marketplace led Lynne to create Scotia Road Books , a new publishing imprint dedicated to providing a platform for women over 40 with strong voices that need to be heard. With a focus on contemporary, historical, and literary fiction, as we...
Jun 09, 2023•38 min•Ep. 142
The award-winning author of 11 books, Tom Sleigh is the latest author to be a guest on the Make Meaning Podcast . In this episode, Tom talks with host Lynne Golodner about how his love of language traces back to childhood, when his mother, an English teacher, first read Thoreau aloud. That journey continued through decades when he was a war correspondent on the front lines in Lebanon and Syria to his archeologist days in southern Mexico and finally, to the resonance of the global COVID-19 pandem...
Apr 21, 2023•38 min•Ep. 141
Minda Zetlin has written columns for Inc. Magazine for more than a decade, and out of that research, reporting and curiosity grew the material and focus for her latest book, CAREER SELF-CARE . The latest author to share her story on the Make Meaning Podcast , Minda Zetlin talks with host Lynne Golodner about how crucial membership in the American Society of Journalists and Authors has been for her career, how self-doubt and self-belief have been her biggest challenges, and how important it is to...
Apr 07, 2023•41 min•Ep. 140
Desiree Cooper was once a Detroit Free Press columnist, a Pulitzer Prize nominee, a Kresge Artist Fellow , an attorney and now she’s a children’s book author – which explains why she considers herself “genre agnostic.” The latest author to share her story on the Make Meaning Podcast , Desiree started writing professionally before social media was a thing, and readers regularly sent her letters and pictures in response to her columns. Her children’s book NOTHING SPECIAL was three years in the mak...
Mar 24, 2023•39 min•Ep. 139
When your mother is an English teacher and your favorite TV show is Masterpiece Theater on PBS , it’s almost inevitable that you’ll take to writing creative, compelling, fantastical stories that captivate readers. “Writing was something I knew I could do,” says Sara Bennett Wealer , the latest author to share her story on the Make Meaning Podcast . In this episode, host Lynne Golodner interviews Sara Bennett Wealer about how to make a living as a writer, how to earn money writing books and how t...
Mar 10, 2023•25 min•Ep. 138
The key to great writing, says Christopher P. Locke , is to be vulnerable. Don’t worry about what people will think. Don’t censor yourself. Just share your realness and that will help others feel less alone. In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast , host Lynne Golodner interviews Christopher P. Locke about his writing journey, their shared memories in the MFA program at Goddard College , the importance of great mentors and taking yourself seriously as a writer. In this episode, Lynne a...
Feb 24, 2023•32 min•Ep. 137
Tammy Pasterick didn’t intend to become a historical fiction novelist. But when a deep dive into her family’s immigrant history unearthed fascinating storylines about Eastern European emigres who settled in Pennsylvania, she knew she had a great story on her hands. In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast , host Lynne Golodner interviews Tammy Pasterick about her journey of writing Beneath the Veil of Smoke and Ash , why she went for hybrid publishing, growing up in a family of steelwor...
Feb 10, 2023•32 min•Ep. 136
